.com
GOOD DEEDS | Boy Scout creates an orca mural at Meredith Hill Elementary [2]
VOL. 14, NO. 46
Mirror
F E D E R A L WAY
division of Sound Publishing
OPINION | Roegner: State rep. races defy pre-election conventional wisdom [4] Letters: The legal marijuana movement [4] BUSINESS | Mooyah Burgers will open first Washington franchise in Federal Way [6] CALENDAR | Upcoming events include holiday bazaars and Christmas music [8]
SPORTS | Federal Way Eagles travel to FRIDAY, Nov. 16, 2012 | 50¢ Vancouver in state football action [12]
Light rail limbo
Farmers market opens for winter
Sound Transit explores alternatives for FW By GREG ALLMAIN gallmain@federalwaymirror.com
By ANDY HOBBS editor@federalwaymirror.com
The Federal Way Farmers Market will move indoors for its first winter season. Starting Nov. 16, the market will be open 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays through the holidays inside The Commons Mall next to Starbucks in the old Borders bookstore. Much like the summer season, which runs May through October in the mall’s parking lot, the winter market will feature the usual array of produce and flowers from local farmers. Dozens of vendors will sell handcrafted gifts such as jewelry, scarves, gloves, knit items and more. Food vendors will peddle everything from jams, jellies and honey to pasta, dips, oils, cheese and jerky. Vendors will offer seasonal fare typically found at holiday bazaars. [ more MARKET, p. 8 ] NEWSPAPER RACKS: To see a list of rack locations for the print edition of The Mirror, visit federalwaymirror.com/about_us. EARLY ARRIVAL: The Friday, Nov. 23, edition of the Federal Way Mirror will be delivered on the evening of Wednesday, Nov. 21. Please enjoy this early delivery for Thanksgiving. This edition will include all ads for Black Friday.
EVERYTHING IN STOCK NOW! NO APPOINTMENT NECESSARY
VETERANS | Community pays tribute to veterans at annual Honoring Our Own [11]
Walmart workers protest ahead of Black Friday
On Thursday, dozens of Walmart employees participated in a protest strike outside the Federal Way store on South 314th Street. Walmart employees from the region aired grievances over wages, job safety and health benefits. Walmarts across the nation are expected to see similar protests through Thanksgiving and the Black Friday shopping day. Read more at federalwaymirror.com. ANDY HOBBS, The Mirror
Sound Transit held an open house at Truman High School on Nov. 13, as the first step in the process of determining alternative solutions for increasing transit capacity for Federal Way and South King County. Community members, city officials, and various Sound Transit staff members were on hand to talk about the new direction of the 2008 ST2 ballot measure, which was set to bring light rail to Federal Way. “Even though we don’t have funding to construct all the way to Federal Way, what we want to do is get into a position where we have an approved alignment, an approved number of stations and locations,” said Kimberly Reason, media relations and public information officer for ST. “This is the first step in the whole planning process.” Reason said this first step is important for the community to be involved
Light rail in Federal Way has been delayed indefinitely due to the lack of money. COURTESY PHOTO in because it lets ST know what issues need to be met for Federal Way residents in their use of public transportation. Sound Transit will be looking at light rail alignment (along Highway 99 vs. along I-5), mode of transportation, stations and locations, among other things, she said. “We want to be thorough in looking at all the alternatives so that when we whittle it down to preferred alternatives, we feel that we’ve looked at everything,” Reason said. This whole process was made possible by an additional $24 million in funding approved by the ST governing board back in [ more TRANSIT, p. 18 ]
Despite a decline in crime, city still has hotspots By GREG ALLMAIN gallmain@federalwaymirror.com
The FBI released its annual Crime in the United States report for American cities last month, with national trends for both violent and property crime continuing downward. According to the FBI’s statistics, violent crime fell for the fifth year in a row, dropping 4.5 percent (for
every 100,000 people). Property crime fell for the ninth year in a row by 1.3 percent, according to the FBI. Six of the seven categories the FBI monitors also saw decreases nationally. The seventh category that didn’t see a decrease, burglaries, saw a slight increase of 1.3 percent nationally. In Washington state, the downward trend also con-
tinued. At the state level, the FBI found that, of cities with populations of 100,000 or more: • The rate of violent crime decreased 6 percent (per 100,000 people) and property crime rate decreased by 3.4 percent (per 100,000 people) • Seattle saw decreases in the number of robberies, larceny-thefts, and motor [ more CRIME, p. 14 ]
Club Palisades Apartments in Federal Way, one of the state’s largest apartment complexes, has had issues with criminal activity over the years. Management is addressing the problem. COURTESY PHOTO
IS YOUR VEHICLE WINTER-READY? * SNOW TIRES * CHAINS * SNOW WHEELS * TRACTION TIRES * BATTERIES
WE DO BRAKES!
FREE! BRAKE CHECKS
Federal Way • 34415 16th Ave ve S • (253) 927-1159 ww www www.lesschwab.com w.lesschwab.com